Stopper-protected bottle



Oct. 8, 1929. c. ELLIS STOPPER PROTECTED BOTTLE Filed May 20. 1925 'lll -such covers is reduced.

Patented Oct. 8, 1929 1 CARLETON ELLIS, or MoN'roIlAm, NEW JERSEY srorrnn-rnorncrnn BOTTLE Application filed May 20,

This invention relates to stopper-protected bottles and relates specifically to milk bottles stoppered with paper disc closures and having the stopper and mouth rim bead or flange protected but not necessarily hermetically sealed by a cover preferably of paper, the sides of I which cover are pressed againstsaid rim; and

the object is to provide a container for milk or other liquids which has the stopper and mouth or pouring lip protected from dust,

such cover gripping the mouth flange firmly enough to remain in place under ordinary conditions of handling in transit but being readily removed when access is desired to the contents of such container. Furthermore the cover is designed to serve as an indicator of tampering so that should the bottle be opened without authority the evidence of such tampering will be readily visible.

The usu 1 method of fastening covers on milk bottl s is by means of a wire ring which clamps the crimped portion or skirt of the cap to the sides of the bottle below the mouth may be used in accordance with the present invention but preferably I employ covers the crimped portion of which is somewhat shorter and when on the bottle extend barely below the mouth flange. A cover of this character presents a neat appearance and the amount of paper stock employed in making In the present invention wire rings or metallic clamps are not used, The cover is impregnated or coated, or bothimpregnated and coated, either throughout or over a portion of the crlmped area, wlth a seallng agent having a mild adhesion to glass. Preferably I employ a wax which is substantially nonadhesive to glass in'conjunction with a saponifiable adhesive agent.

Wax and the like having relatively high melting points, for example above 70 C; and

preferably above 75 or 80 C.

When these hard waxes are melted and poured on glass in athin layer it will be 1925. Serial no. 31,719.

found on cooling that the wax peels or sepa: rates readily from the glass as for example by gentle abrasion with the finger nail. This is a desirable quality to a certain degree in that it prevents fouling of the millfbottles 5 through adhesion of the Wax. The effect is quite different with softer and unsaponifiable Waxes such as parafiin which when melted and poured "on glass adheres rather tenaciously. Waxes of this character tend to foul the bottles. i On the other hand a cover carrying a binder of the aforesaid high melting point waxes not infrequently has too little adhesion and on slight swelling of the cover which may come from absorption of moisture from water or ice said cover may loosen sufficiently to be easily rotated around the mouth of the bottle. This would not be a particular objection if the rotationwhich may occur in handling did not have a tendency to cause the cover to spread by sliding upward slightly along the mouth flange. Covers which spread in this manner give'the appearance that the contents of the bottle have been tampered with.

In thepresent invention I may incorporate with the high melting point wax having peeling properties, an adhesive substance such as dammar resin, copal or common rosin; the latter being very cheap and satisfactory. so Cumaron resin might be used but would have the disadvantage of. being unsaponifiable and therefore should particles of the binder adhere to the glass the hot soda ash solution used in washing the bottles in the dairy might not remove all the binding composition from the surface of the glass. Resin of this character is not recommended for the purpose but its use in some mixtures may be possible and is not precluded. The adhesive agent may be incorporated with the wax to the extent of 10 or 20 per cent or even in larger proportions depending on the degree of adhesion desired.

A resinous body such as rosin or shellacboth of which are very readily soluble in hot soda ash solutions has the advantagethat if pres-; ent in binder compositions -they afford an emulsifying or disintegrating action when subjected to the hot alkaline solution and particles of the binder sticking to the bottle there- 1 readily miscible with some waxes, blending agents may be required.

- Metallo organic compounds of the waxes and resins likewise maybe used or the nnxture of wax and resin may be treated with a small amount of base sucli'as calcium or magnesium oxide or hydroxide to raise the melting point.

Usually 2 or 3 per cent ofthe basic material suflices.

Such metallo organic compounds preferably and desirably are made by fusion rather than by precipitation, in order to save expense and avoid impurities which may be present when made by a wet method or precipitation procedures.

The cover is usually made of stiff strong paper but other grades of paper or special fibrous material may be employed. The paper should be treated with a lubricating substance in order that it may be drawn, that is forced through di es to obtain the desired cup or ra'mekin shape. One or both sides of the' paper therefore may have a coating of paraflin wax or other lubricating agent applied thereto prior to drawing. A desirable treatment proposed especially to be carried out in connection with the present invention is that of'incorporating with the paper stock while in the beater engine a quantity of a paraffin r wax emulsion and adding a setting agent which causes the paraffin to precipitate throughout the particles of the pulp mass. Thus 2 or 3 per cent by weight of the paper stock may be'introdu'ced inthis manner for waterproofing purposes and larger proportions maybe. added to secure a lubricating effect to accomplish drawing to advantage. Such emulsions ofwax may be made by agitating or grinding paraflin wax with water, bentonite and a small amount of soap or alkali, or'starch and-caustic sodamay be employed with the paraflin wax, or 5 or 10 per cent of stearic or oleic acid may, be melted with the paraffin and this composition emulsified witha hot dilute aqeous solution of caustic soda or ammonia. Preferably the par'aiiih emulsion is added to the beater engine at the time the paper stock is charged thereinto and after thorough admixing 1n the usual mancharge is withdrawn. I I The paper which ,way also may be cut into discs of a size appropriate to fit ,into the mouths of milk bottles ner, with or without the addition of rosin sizev orfany other desired sizing agent, alum or other setting agent is added justbefore the is 'waterproofed' in this sons to forma closure for the bottles. QOrdinarily discs of this character. are water- .proofed by-applying to both surfaces a thin coating of parafiin wax. In the present case the wax is distributed through tile, mass of paper instead of bein at the surface and a less greasy eifect'may e obtained with economy of wax.

The present invention in one form contemplates a bottle which is stoppered or closed by means of a paper disc containing paraffin emulsion'as aforesaid and carrying a protecting cover preferably likewise waterproofed.

By applyin paraflinwax in the paper in this manner the drawing operation may be carried out without having the surface of the paper saturated with wax, so that the binding wax described above when applied to the skirt of the cover does not become contaminated or diiuted with objectionable amounts of para n. Y

The binding wax and resin composition may be applied to the cover by dipping thelower part of said cover in the molten mixture, or the covers may be nested and a column of such nested covers arranged with the skirts pointing downward, The molten composition is poured over the covers and a portion of the wax collects on the exposed lower part of the skirt of each cover. Or the molten composition may be applied by spraying or in other ways.

In applying the covers to stoppered bottles the column of nested covers carrying the binding agent may be placed in a vertical container open at the bottom and provided with suitable means for removing one cover at a time and placing it on a bottle set just beneath the device.' This vertical container is preferably jacketed and is heated by steam or by steam blown into water contained in the bath. In some cases When special temperatures are desired the baths may contain solvents such as alcohol or toluol with reflux condenser equipment so that on applying heat whichordinarily will be from the steam plant of dairy, the covers will not be heated above a certain desired temperature.

A quick-setting composition as the binding agent is important in most cases because the covering or capping of the bottles is carried out by machinery which is more or less automatic and the time allotted for the binding agent to set therefore may be only a few seconds. Ordinarily 6 to 10 seconds may not be exceeded. Preferably therefore the binding agent is maintained at a temperature only slightly above the softening or congealing point. Some mixtures have so pronounced a lack in setting or hardening by cooling, espe-v cially when heated considerably above the melting point that much trouble arises in securing sufficient rapidity of set to allow their use in dairy practice. By arranging to, have the temperature of the heating bath at adefinite relatively low point close to the softening or'congealing point as aforesaid the rate of setting usually is substantially increased With larger proportions of resins which have less definite softening points this condition may be aggravated and preferably I employ a proportion of resin or resinate less in amount than the wax, that is the composition contains a major proportion of wax. Paraffin wax alone is not satisfactory.

Various other substances may be employed in carrying out the present invention inreplacement of the waxes in whole or in part or in substitution for the resins or resinates, and when the color is not objectionable asphaltic substances such as gilsonite or other dark materials or coloring agents may be introduced. Metallo organic compounds such as magnesium or calcium stearate, p'almitate and the like also may be incorporated.

In the case of the latter addition mentioned I prefer to use products made by fusion lutions.

rather than by precipitation as in this manner magnesium or calcium stearate. or palmitate may be very cheaply obtained in a state of. purity or at least free from saline compounds or other substances which might aceidentally contaminate the contents of the 'bottle.

While paraffin wax by itself has the disad vantages set forth above, a considerable improvement results on mixing it with rosin. For example a mixture of equal parts of rosin andparaflin melted together and applied to the skirt of the cover was found to be very waterproof and although there was some fouling of the glass the attached particles could be removed by washing; due no doubt to the emulsifying character of the rosin intimately mixed with the wax. A mixture of 1 part of rosin to 3 parts of parafiin was removed from glass with greater difliculty.

A mixture of equal parts of cumaron resin, rosin and paraffin likewise did not offer difiiculty of removal by washing with alkaline soof the slight cling without fouling and be-,

cause the cost of materials is so much less.

The foregoing examples have the desired cling o1 grip preventing rotation of the cover on the flange of the bottle on mild pressure, especially. when a sufficient amount of the binder is present. with respect to this proportion it' may be noted that the paper may be simply impregnated with the composition or a larger amount may be employed so as to have a coating on the surface. The latter is desirable especially since the singleply paper preferably employed in forming the cover when light in weight does not ab- Congo resin 1 part, rosin 3 partsplates the employment of binders comprising rosin or other resin of an appropriate char-, acter incorporated with a soft wax such as paraffin and preferably with a modifying wax such as carnauba. The proportions given above are useful ones since the mixture is low in cost and has the desired properties. The carnauba wax mayhowever be increased to secure a greater peelingeifect. The rosin and paraffin may be varied for example twice as much rosin as paraflin may be employed. It is a matter of surprise that paraflin wax which normally adheres to bottles in the'manner indicated above, causing various .difii culties, loses this property to a very con-- siderable extent when incorporated with the .rosin, particularly on the addition of a small amount of a high melting point wax such as carnauba. The color of the mixture is satisfactory and the paper when thoroughly impregnated, and slightly coated acquires a glossy finish. While the 'rosin and. paraflin by themselves do not give satisfactory results, when mixed as above and usedas a binder for a single-ply cover excellent waterproofing results are obtained.

Covers impregnated with carnauba wax alone as the binding agent. or various other high melting point waxes are not particularly waterproof. Milk bottles are frequently packed in ice or handled under conditions of moisture which are severe, the bottles oftentimes being actually submerged. When so submerged covers having carnauba wax as the binding agent will swell and loosen inthe course of an hour or two. Sometimes the covers will loosen to such an extent that they will separate from the bottle and float on the surface. With a rosin-paraifin-carnauba mixture in the proportion stated above, a cover, the skirt of which has been impreg nated and coated therewith,may be submerged under water for a period of. 12 hours or more without any material loosening of the skirt. This too despite the fact that the upper part of the cover over the top of the bottle which has had merely the usual glaze of paraffin wax will be in a soft and swollen condition.

By impregnating the entire cover with the rosin -paraflin-carnauba mixture a remarkais better to use a larger proportion of carnauba wax than 5 or per cent, preferably increasing to or "per cent.

Other compositions are equal parts of dammar and paraffin wax; Congo resin 1 part, rosin 3 parts, paraffin wax 1 part; asphalt 1 part, rosin 2 parts, paraiiin wax 5 parts. The latter is black in color, rather slow setting and tends tofoul glass slightly. In another case a mixture of equal parts .cumaron resin and parafiin wax was used. None of these compositions was as satisfactoryas the rosin, paraflin wax and hard wax mixtures.

The proportions given above are by weight. The covers in question it should be understood are made from a single sheet of paper, that is they are not composed of two or more sheets of paper cemented together. Such a singleply cover is cheaper to make and the manufacturing difiiculties connected with producinglt are considerably less than with covers made with a plurality of layers of paper. A.

good strong type of paper heavy enough to stand handling incident to transporting milk bottles should be used. It may be glazed with parafiin as heretofore employed in making the paper discs for closing milk bottles, or it may be waterproofed with emulsified wax as described above. A covermade with paper containing such emulsified wax may be referred to as Waterproofed with or containing emulsified wax or wax which has been deposited from an emulsion by the employment of a suitablecoagulating agent; such coagulation or setting preferably being carried out in'the beater engine. A large part of the paper I stock of the cover preferably is ground wood which may be admixed with wood pulp obtained by the sulphite or other processes. By

. employing a cover, the paper stock of which contains a considerable proportion of ground wood and impregnating a portion of the skirt or crimped part of the cover with the rosinparatfin-carnauba wax mixtures aforesaid, it

, is possible to employ a comparatively short skirt which reaches only round the flange of the bottle and yet which when crimped into place has a strength and adhesion which could be secured with for example carnauba wax alone only by employing a much longer skirted portion.

' Thus the invention in its preferred form relates to a disc-closed bottle protected by a cover carrying a skirt binder comprising a resin and waxy material, the latter preferably being amixture of a cheap soft wax such as paraflin and a high melting point or hard wax such as carnauba; the latter being resent in a proportion sufiicient to substantia ly'reduce adhesion to glass; there being however preferably sufficient adhesion to obtain a strong sealing effect when the cover with 1135 binder softened by heat is crimped around the mouth of; the bottle. There is thus involved the process which comprises melting together a resin which has the property of clingingto determined proportions to adjust thedegree,

of cling and applying such composition to covers as a binding agent. Furthermorethe invention comprises a milk bottle covered as aforesaid especially with a cover having a relatively short skirt reaching only to or just below the flange of the milk bottle; the length being preferably onl suflicient to engage the jaws of the clamp w ien the cover is applied. When water insoluble soapsior resinates are employed it should be noted that I prefer to employ products which have been made by' fusion rather than precipitation in the wet way. By the latter procedure, which by the way is a relatively costly one, the coagulum is likely to occlude impurities such as the salts formed during the reaction. Preferably I employ stearates, palmitates, oleates, resinates and the like which have been made simply by fusion rather than by precipitation and thus avoid the presence in the covers of chemi cals liable to cause suspicions on the part of laymen' or of allegations by hostile interests. Finally it may be noted that parafiin wax is extremely slow setting when employed alone, that it is rather greasy and exhibits a con siderable degree of adhesion to glass. Rosin on the other hand sets fairly rapidlyand is notablyadhesive and sticky; Carnauba Wax sets quickly and is substantially non-adhesive. It is surprising to find that the stick qualities of rosin and the slow setting properties of paraffin wax are so considerably modified by their action one on the other and that carnauba or other high melting point waxes even in the small proportion of 10 per cent or thereabouts introduced into the mixture of rosin and paraflin exhibits such an unexpected behavior so that when used as a skirt-binder -mild adhesion, substantial absence of greasi- For example the skirt of a milk bottle paper cup was dipped in paraffin wax and allowedto cool, then re-heated in an oven at 100 C. and the cup thereupon clamped on the rim or head of the milk bottle. Setting occurred in 20 to 30 seconds but the binder was lacking in strength and also fouled the bottle considerably. If left in the clamp for a shorter length of time the cap would spring away from the bottle. If left in'the clamp 'until thoroughly chilled, for example 5 minutes, the binding effect was. improved.

This however is a prohibitive length of time forclamping under normal conditions of dairy practice. Another batch of paper caps were dipped in paraffin at a temperature of 8590 G. to obtain a considerably heavier coating of the wax. After cooling the caps were placed in an oven at 100 C. and allowed to remain until the paraffin had softened so as to be plastic butnot to a degree such that it became fluid and drained off. f A cap of this character was clamped on a bottle for 2 or 3 minutes and astronger effect was obtained but the bottle was badly fouled due to the heavy coating of paraffin wax resulting from such procedure. With the cap applied in this manner a leak proof seal could be obtained. Mixtures of carnauba wax and rosin gave good results in certain proportions. With 10 to 25 parts by weight of carnauba to 90 and 75 parts respectively of rosin, the strength is not very satisfactory and the adhesion is unnecessarily high. The waterproof quality however varies almost directly with the prortion of. rosin present and to obtain caps which do not loosen quickly when submerged in water over per cent of rosin is desirable. A mixture made from rosin 5 parts, stearic acid 5 parts and carnauba wax 1 part did not set as quickly .as the rosin, parafiin, carnauba compositions and the binding effect was considerably less being more comparable with paraflin except that the bottle was notfouled in the manner that would occur when using paraffin wax alone. v A mixture of'rosin 5 parts, paraflin wax 5 parts and shellac wax'l part, set in 6'to 10 seconds and was fairly strong. On increasing the proportion of shellac wax to 2 parts in the preceding formula better results were obtained with respect to clearance of the glass on removal of the'cap. The adhesion was.

satisfactory and the bottle was not fouled. With shellac. wax therefore in the ratio of 2 parts to 5 parts each of rosin and paraflin wax the results obtained were approximately similar to those .when using only 1 part of carnauba wax. The latter composition therefore is cheaper. In another case satisfactory results were obtained from 5 parts each of rosin and parafiin wax and 1 part of Montan wax. The skirt of a paper cup or cover impregnated with the above composition, cooled and then re-hea-ted in an oven at 100 C. and

the bottle without affording a leak-proof closure thereby.

In referring to the term fouling of bottles it should be understood that I do not mean necessarily that the foregoing preferred compositions will not in some,cases, when the cover is removed leave around the rim of the bottle a slight amount of binder adhering thereto. I find however that because of the saponifiable character of the composition and its emulsifying effect on unsaponifiable sub- I ings of parafiin wax for the purpose. n

It may be noted that the unsatisfactory results obtained alone with paraffin or stearic acid and similar bodies of a crystalline character apparently is due totheir constantly changing degree of crystalli ity, weakening the bond by change of'volume and by .the formation of slippage planes. Incorporation with an amorphous substance such as a resin. tends to overcome this crystalline condition and makes possible the use of a substance such as paraffin wax which otherwise would be unsatisfactory. In the case of stearic acid its conversion to magnesium or calcium stearate likewise tends to reduce the crystalline character thereof. In the present invention therefore I contemplate, among other compositions, the employment of a Wax or similar material having crystalline tendency incorporated with a resin or other substance substantially suppressing such crystalline tendency.

' In using the term paper seal or binding agent it should be understood that it is not my purpose necessarily to hermetically seal the milk bottle. I desire to secure on the mouth of the bottle a cover which will prevent for. all practical purposes, during the period that the bottle is exposed, the ingress of dust or impurities, also to make it difficult to tamper with the bottle without detection. Preferably therefore I do not use so abundant a coating of binder, nor paper of such asoft, yielding character that a hermetic seal results. The fluted or crimped portion of the cover or skirted part being made preferperienced by using for example heavy coatably of rather stifi' strong paper ordinarily ous small openings along the sides of the skirt between it and the bottle. The employment of a coating adequate to give sufiicient strength as a.binder for the skirt but not sufiicient to cement the entire skirt in an airtight manner to the glass renders the bottle more readily cleaned. Inany event it is preferabl'e to impregnate solely the skirt of the cover or merely a part of said skirt when economy of material is desired. In such a case the upper part of the cover. as it rests on the upright bottle will be more or less easily permeable by air and a hermetic seal does not therefore result.

In the drawings which are ofa. conventional diagrammatic character, Figure 1 shows a bottle of the milk bottle type, the illustration being partly in elevation and partly in vertical cross section. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a crimped or a paper disc closure or stopper B fluted paper cover or cup of the rameki n type and Figure 3 shows such cup crimped about the mouth and rim of the bottle illustrated in Figure 1.' Figure 4 shows a view of the bottom of the cup, after crimping, and indicates in a conventional way the irregularities E is the binding material composed of a mixture of resin and wax or other material within the range of equivalency of the pres ent invention, such material being applied as an impregnum with a certain amount preferably on the surface. The shaded portion of Figures 2 and 3 representing the bindingmaterial indicates either an impregnum or impregnated and coated areas. As shown the binder extends only part way up the sides of the cup, but. this depends on the length of the skirt and also on the manner of application of the binder. For example the caps may be nested so that only a portion of the skirt projects and the binder material may be poured over a column or stack of these cups, the top portion C of the caps being uppermost. Asthe molten binder'runs down over the sides of the stack of nested cups the exposed portion of'the skirt will become coated and perhaps impregnated. Afterwards the stacks may be kept-warm for a time in a draining oven whereby excess of the binder drips off and more or less impregnation occurs. At the same time some of the binder will creep upward along the skirt and on to the horizontal portion of Figure 2.

. In Figures 2 and? the fluted or crimped parts of the skirt are brought against and around the mouth of the bottle by the pressure of a crimping or clamping device. Thecover is warmed to soften the binder, then placed on the mouth of the stoppered bottle and the clamping pressure applied. Preferably this clamping effect is carried out by means of a tool having a narrow edge in order that the clamping effect may be applied evenly despite the fact that the bottles may vary somewhat in size of mouth rim etc. A clamping tool with narrow edge enables inequalities due to lack of uniformity in manufacture of bottles to be taken up adequately. The paper employed in making the cup 0 preferably is ordinary fibre paper of strength sufficient to resist the conditions of handling and transportation. Hence paper whichds fairly stiff and tough is desirable. Paper of tends to spring away from the bottle. With paraflin wax due to its slow set and lack of strength I have not been able to employ strong paper efl'ectively. Even after the clamp has been applied for several minutes paper of this desirable character may refuse to retain its vention I propose, as I have heretofore stated,

to utilize a binding composition which permits of the crimping operation to be accomplished in from say6 to 10 seconds or in any event during a very shortinterval of time so this character tends to resist crimping about. the bottle rim and after the clamp is released that bottles may be. handled in large numbers in the dairy with the least possible expenditure of time. 1 By employing a resinous substance, adhesive to glass, in conjunction with waxy material a good grip is produced along the line D where the crimping tool is applied.

Fillers in the binding composition are preferably avoided as they simply act as loading agents which detract from the strength and the problem of finding a substance which is cheap and yet has strength and waterproof qualities is difficult at best without the addition of adulterating substances such as fillers.

However in some cases when special colors are desired pigment-fillers may be used.

lVhen crimped into place the cup 0 preferably does not form projecting finsbut simply the ordinary creases and tucking crimps under the shoulder of the bottle neck or rim or flange thatwill naturally result from such contraction and compression due to the crimping tool. Furthermore the amount of binder which I preferably employ is not suificient to fill all the little creases around the neck of the bottle due to such crimping. Where the fluting is folded over and flattened out against the bottle due to thestiffness of the paper-and desirability of using only a suificient amount of binder to give the requisite strength, there .will be occasional little channels through which air may pass and possibly at times a slight amount of moisture. Such fine channels do not offer any difficulty due to ingress of Water when' the bottle is submerged and even if water should penetrate in this manner it cannot pass the true closure or stopper B. On

the other hand such minute channels act as equalizers of pressure on the two surfaces of the closure B which is sometimes desir- By having the binder applied only able.

both sides following the treatment ordinarily employed in the case of the paper disc closure B it will be found that moisture will be absorbed in the interior of the paper sheet when the cup is submerged. There is thus a change in volume and certain stresses are set up which tend to open, leaving the rim of the bottle. This loosening may be slight, just sufficient to cause the cup to be easily rotated around the rim of the bottle or it may be sufficient so that the cap when submerged in water will come off entirely and float to the surface. Rosin and various resins appear to be far more effective as waterproofing agents than waxes. The resins however by themselves are sticky and oftentimes not workable for various other reasons but when incorporated with wax qualities are obtained from the composition which do not appear in either taken separately. Thus for example both paraffin Wax and carnauba wax usedby themselves as binders are quickly loosened when wet, in the case of cap covers the upper part of which is not impregnated but simply glazed with a wax coating. Under these con ditions the moisture which penetrates into the fibre of the paper forces the crimped portion away from the rim of thebottle with undesirable loosening. This may occur in fifteen minutes to an hour. Bottles frequently while in transit are under packed ice or in moist conditions fora period of ten or twelve hours and I have found the resinwax mixture previously described offers the necessary waterproof qualities in a binder p for theskirtto meet such requirements.

While I have stated the resin-wax mixture is preferably applied in the molten condition as an impregnating and coating composition I'do not limit myself thereto but may resort to the employment of resin and wax emulsions which may be incorporated in the ground wood and. wood pulp mixture preferably employed in making the paper stock. Such deposited resin and wax obtained from appropriated emulsions thereof, as for example an emulsion of paraffin wax and carnauba wax in rosin soap solution does not form a part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. By the impregnating method described the binder can be applied locally to the skirt of the cap where it is most needed whereas by the emulsion method the binder is distributed throughout the paper material uniformly and is less effective.

It will be noted therefore by such partial or localized impregnation no attempt is madeto produce a cover which is air-proof and waterproof although by complete impregnation with the rosin-wax mixture extremely effective resistance to water is obtainable. Such treatment is not necessary however as the cup does not function as a stopper but merely as a stopper cover. Complete impreg nation of the cup adds to the cost of material and furthermore covers impregnated throughout with rosin-wax mixtures tend somewhat more to stick together in the capping machine cup magazine and also to the plunger used to push the cover onto the bottle. By impregnating simply the skirt and not the top of the cover this difficulty is avoided.

lVhat I claim is 1. A milk bottle, the paper disc stopper of which is covered by a single-ply crimped paper cover carrying a fusible skirt binder, hot crimped around the bottle rim to a condi tion of adherence firm to ordinary handling but readily removable for access to contents of the bottle, whereby a closure that is air and water permeable between the skirt and bottle Wall is obtained.

2. A milk bottle stoppered with a disc stop' per, the exposed surface of said stopper and the rim of the bottle being protected by a paper cover carrying a binder free from filler comprising resin and wax, said cover being hot crimped around the bottle rim causing it to grip the latter firmly; said cover protecting but not hermetically sealing the mouth of the bottle, whereby a closure that is air and water permeable between the skirt and bottle wall is obtaine 3. A milk bottle the mouth of which is covered by a single ply, skirted hood cap carrying solely on the skirt thereof a binder comprlsmg resin andwax lightly cementing the cap to the flange of the bottle,said cap serving as a detector of tampering and as a protection against dust, the cap providing air permeability between the skirt and bottle wall.

4. A skirted cover comprising paper material for covering the stoppers of bottles, said cover carrying on the skirt thereof an iin- 

